Local businesses have reported receiving an official looking letter from Corporate Records Service instructing them to submit $125 along with a "2013 Annual Minutes Form," but this letter and form are a scam and should be disregarded, according to the Better Business Bureau and the Kentucky Secretary of State's office.

Courtesy of the Better Business Bureau

Local businesses have reported receiving this form or one similar to it from Corporate Records Service. This form and accompanying information are part of scam, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State and the Better Business Bureau.

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes issued a news release Wednesday afternoon stating that Corporate Records Service is not "registered, affiliated or associated with the Secretary of State, and Kentucky law does not require businesses to file the form requested by Corporate Records Service."
“Many businesses have contacted my office to inquire about the form; the form was not sent from this office, and all information available to us indicates the request is a scam,” said Grimes. “Businesses should exercise caution before providing information or payment to Corporate Records Service, or any other entity that makes misleading requests.”
The BBB issued a news release Thursday morning regarding the same scam.
"This mailing may look like an official government form, but it is not," the news release said. "Corporations are required to keep minutes of their corporate meetings, but they don't have to pay someone to prepare [their] corporate minutes. The company may be trying to confuse businesses that have to file an Annual Report with the state into thinking they need to pay them to prepare their minutes."
According to Grimes' office, Kentucky businesses are required to file with the Secretary of State’s Office an annual report by June 30 each year, and registered entities recently received or will receive shortly a reminder to complete that filing. The fee for filing an annual report in Kentucky is $15.
Businesses can file online, or the form can be returned by mail or in person. For more information about the annual report or other business filing requirements under Kentucky law, visit www.sos.ky.gov or call 502-564-3490.
As far as the letter is concerned, the BBB says, "if you received this mailing from Corporate Records Service, the best thing to do is to throw it in the trash."